Overview
- The Learjet 60 departed Austin for North Eleuthera and crashed into Military Trail near Cresthaven at about 12:50 p.m. on Sunday, producing a deep crater, a large fire and the deaths of all nine people on board.
- Public air-traffic recordings capture the crew reporting clear ice accumulation and severe turbulence, declaring a mayday and saying “we’re going to crash” as flight-tracking data show a near-vertical loss of tens of thousands of feet in roughly a minute.
- The impact scattered burning debris near homes and businesses, knocked down power lines, prompted road closures on Military Trail and forced about 600 residents to seek shelter, with officials reporting no confirmed deaths on the ground.
- The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the technical probe with FAA support, investigators on scene collecting wreckage and recorder data, and officials expect preliminary factual updates in weeks and a final report in many months.
- The jet was a private/charter Learjet 60, and investigators say weather, possible icing effects and operational factors for non-airline flights are key lines of inquiry that could prompt closer scrutiny of charter safety rules.